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Violence Trap
Violence Trap Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s (DS9) episode “Past PrologueIMDb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708576/” discusses terrorism. The space station’s first officer Major Kira Nerys is a former member of the Bajoran resistance against the Cardassian Empire’s occupation of her home world, Bajor. During the episode, Major Kira and the DS9 cadre rescue an active Kohn-Ma terrorist, Tahna Los. The Kohn-Ma and Tahna are continuing a terrorist war against the Cardassian Empire, its political enemies in the Bajoran provisional government and Bajor’s new ally, the Federation of Planets. This episode of DS9 aired on January 10. 1993 when terrorism was a hot topic in the United States. While there are many causes of terrorism, many of which are beyond the scope of Middle Wiki, one cause is terrorism and rebellion. The Economist’s April 14, 2011 article “The Economies of Violence” quotes a former South Sudanese rebel leader with “it pays to rebel”The Economist, par 11.. Rebellion, terrorism and civil war are part of poverty and part of the violence trap. Large-scale violence, in its many forms like rebellion, civil war, ethnic violence, organized crime, murder and lawlessness, are part of the formula where violence causes poverty and poverty causes violenceThe Economist, par 3.. : “Civil wars are obviously damaging, and not many countries suffer them. . . but a lot of others are trapped in persistent, pervasive lawlessness. The report reckons that 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by political violence, organised crime, exceptionally high murder rates or low-intensity conflicts. All this falls short of civil war, but the effects can be as bad”The Economist, par 6.. Another component The Economist’s article mentions is “bad government” contributing to the cyclical nature of the violence trapThe Economist, par 4. Civil war can not alone be the vehicle of the violence trap. Organized crime also has a role to play. The Economist states “more people are now being murdered Guatemala each year (mostly by gangs) than were killed in the country’s civil war in the 1980s”The Economist, par 7.. Guatemala is no longer fighting a civil war, but the violence and poverty still exists. This situation is not particular to just Guatemala. The United States suffers from the violence trap as well. The city of Chicago is one of the most violent places on the planet. Tyler Zimmer, writing in Gapers Block, exclaims “high levels of gun violence in Chicago have been a persistent problem for years, but the spike in killings this summer — the murder rate is up 49 percent according to recent estimates — has drawn the attention of national media”Zimmer, par 2.. Chicago, famous for violence, has grow worse in the last year. Chicago is also plagued by poverty. Chicago does not have armed militias like Libya, Burundi and South Sudan. Like Guatemala, Chicago’s violence comes from organized crime and gangs. For a modern nation like the United States, a question arises: why do young men resort to crime. Sociologists point out that not only are young men joining for camaraderie, income and protection, but for the neighborhoods in Chicago rife with crime basic needs like respect, employment and security are not being met for the community at largeZimmer, par 4. Respect, employment and security are lacking just like in Libya, Burundi, South Sudan and Guatemala. Though Chicago is in the richest nation in the world, it still exhibits the problems of the poorest nations in the world. Part of the problem in Chicago is governance. Zimmer mentions police misconduct, corruption and brutality in Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods make the problems of gun violence only worse. He writes “it’s not just that more aggressive policing is ineffective at preventing violent crime. In fact, we have good reason to believe that it would make the problem worse”Zimmer, par 11. Ineffect Chicago’s police policies are counter productive. This is an example of how bad governance in the US aggravates violent crime. Zimmer’s position is in dispute, however. Steve Chapman writing for Real Clear Politics states there is evidence for effective control of gun violence in Chicago. Chapman claims “what appears to have worked in New York -- and, later, in Chicago -- is swarming crime “hot spots” with cops for days or weeks, forcing criminals to mind their manners”Chapman, par 9.. Chapman says when police follow the following three steps from Project Safe Neighborhoods, gun violence in New York and Chicago is reduced and does not migrate to other parts of the city: #The threat of long sentences in distant prisons with no hope of parole coupled with options of shelter assistance, job training and education if the criminal does not reoffendChapman, par 11.. #Ex-offenders are required to attend “round-table meeting with police, community representatives and services” to find life solutions and avoid returning to prisonChapman, par 12.. #Offer $500 to $1000 cash rewards to tipstersChapman, par 13 Following these steps has reduced gun violence in both Chicago and New York, but has also reduced recidivism by 30%. Terrorism in DS9’s “Past Prologue” does little to expose the roots of poverty other than to say the Bajoran people are oppressed. The problem of the violence trap might be beyond television as the problems of violence and poverty in Africa, Central America and America’s inner cities seem to be beyond the scope of government. Notes References *Chapman, Steve. “The Right Way to Combat Gun Violence.” Real Clear Politics (02.24.2013) *IMDb. Deep Space Nine: “Past Prologue” *The Economist (04.14.2011). “The Economies of Violence.” *Zimmer, Tyler. Gapers Block (08.27.2012). “Chicago’s Violence at Its Source.” Category:Poverty